This is my cookware. I know. It’s embarrassing. However, I can be honest enough with myself to admit that I cooked on those pots and pans for about 3 years before I brought new ones. I know. It IS bad. And, it wasn’t that I didn’t know any better. My mom kept telling me I needed new dishes. I just didn’t think it was that important.

Well that is, until last winter. Last winter, everything I cooked burned. I started to notice little black flakes in my eggs and I started to see that my collection of pots and pans was getting rustier and rustier. But, if you’re willing to be honest with yourself, you likely have at least two ‘bad dishes’ in your cupboards too.

I have eaten at more than my fair share of Black women’s homes, and the food is damn good! I mean we throw down in the kitchen. But, I’ve also witnessed my fair share of rusty pans and scratched pots at my sistah’s cribs. I don’t know why we hold onto bad cookware so long.

Or, maybe I do. For one, new pots and pans are expensive. (And, good dishes are even more expensive.) Everyone knows the best pots and pans you can purchase will either be made of stainless steel, or her even more expensive sister, copper. But try buying some real stainless steel cookware, or copper, and you’ll likely spend $50+ PER pot or pan. (Copper=more like $75+ PER pot/pan) Yeah, that would be a barrier for Black women.

Also, sometimes we just don’t know what signifies bad dishes. Even though our great grandmothers knew all about cast iron, copper dishes and Teflon, unfortunately, oftentimes us millennial moms failed to get that information with mama working two jobs and between trying to get educated ourselves. But, it’s never too late to learn. Check this out.

You’ve got Bad Cookware if…

You have a rusty pan. Everyone has a rusty pan at one time or another. That’s what metal does when you put water on it excessively. But, it doesn’t have to be this way. Even if you’re pan is completely rusted, you may be able to bring it back to life. Check out this article on how to revive a rusty pan. But, if you use this process and the rust is still there or the rust seems to have eaten through the metal of your pot or pan, don’t cook on that. Just buy a new set.

You’ve got Bad Cookware if…

Your non-stick is sticking to your food. If you are finding black flakes in your eggs, it’s time to throw those dishes out. I know it’s hard to part with your favorites, but that one needs to go in the trash. What’s actually happening is the aluminum underneath the non-stick coating on your dishes is being exposed. Studies have shown that aluminum is horrible for you and your families’ health. Check out this guide to essential cookware to get started.

You’ve got bad cookware if…

Everything is burning and you’re following the directions. Pots and pans can be too thin. Some cookware also does not produce and maintain heat levels very well. Maybe your cooking that specific food in the wrong cookware. From glass to cast iron to non-stick. There are tons of varieties of cookware. You made need more cookware or you may need new cookware. Check out this guide on choosing the right cookware.

Alright so, not all Black women need this advice. I know some Black women who have pristine pots and pans. I mean seriously, their cookware looks like it just came out of the box. But, there are some millennial moms, like me, who might need this advice. Let me also stress how bad peeling or rusted cookware is for our health and the health of our families. So, if you think this might help another sistah, please share.

Or, comment below and tell me how you keep your cookware collection so fresh and so clean!

Muffy Mendoza is an author, speaker and founder of Pittsburgh Brown Mamas, a support group for nearly 4,000 African-American moms in the Pittsburgh region. To further fill the void Muffy has created a line of educational products focused on helping Black moms be the best moms, too. Her first book, The Brown Mama Mindset: A Blueprint for Black Moms on Life, Love & Home, was featured at the 2018 Essence Festival and is currently sold in various cities across the U.S. Muffy champions the beauty of Black motherhood everywhere she goes, even on the TEDx stage. Find out more about Muffy on muffymendoza.com.

3 Comments

Almost all my cookware is cast iron and/or glass, BUT I do have one pot that needs to go. It’s my favorite and I have yet to fine another like it. Thankfully there’s nothing wrong with it really, it’s just old. Smh. I know. Let it go Jess. 🙁

Thanks for commenting Tiff. Non-stick is really only the way to go if you can’t afford stainless steel or cooper. Needless to say, that’s what most of us brown mamas have. But, I’ve found some stainless steel cookware at thrift/secondhand shops. The cookware struggle is real when you are on a budget.

I do have SOME bad cookware smh BUT I also have some good cookware lol I phase out the old as a I buy a new pot or pan here or there. I know I have to invest in good cookware though some of that nonstick isn’t what it claims to be!